SQL Server data and conditional formatting

[cduwel]

I imported a table from SQL Server 2000 using an ODBC connection and I had 2 columns of dates next to each other. I conditionally formatted one column to use yellow background if the date in the other column was > the date in the current column. It works for some cells and not others. Some where both dates are exactly the same show one is > than the other and sometimes not. Some where one date is null are highlighted and some are not. Some where the date < current shade correctly and some do not. I tried formatting the dates as numbers and they match the dates - in that ones where one date > another the numbers are also > the other, and one date = another the numbers also are equal.
It's the formatting that seems to be completely random. I also tried copying the data and pasting it in as values and once it worked - when I put the conditional formatting on it worked like it's supposed to and then I tried it again and it went back to random formatting. I gave up at that point.
I am using Excel 2007 on Windows XP SP2 and SQL Server 2000 Standard SP 4.
Has anyone else ever run into this?
Thanks

[martindwilson]

2007 retains previous cf if you redo it it just adds as another conditon
Select Conditional formatting and Clear Rules from Selected Cells
failing that post an example in the excell2007 sub forum

[cduwel]

I took another shot today and it also does it if I just type in the dates. For example the conditional formatting tells me that "8/10/2003" > "8/11/2003" although I put a formula (=IF(K2 < L2, "Later", "")) next to it that correctly says "Later". On the other hand some of them work - actually the average for the 4 sets of dates that I typed in and conditionally formatted is 75% - it got 3 out of 4 right. My "Later" formula bats 1000.
I thought it might be regarding the dates I typed in as text - it won't let me format them as dates. However it does sort them correctly - "8/10/2003" < "8/11/2003".
If I can figure out what a Excel2007 sub forum is I'll post some pictures of this mess.
Thanks
I forgot to add that this workbook is a new workbook not converted from v 2003 although it is saved as v 2003.

[cduwel]

Oops!
It turns out the problem was that when I put in the cell to compare the dates to it defaulted to a fixed reference ($J$2). Changing it to $J2 did the trick. This made the row change but not the column, when I used it earlier it was comparing each date to the value in J2 not the cell next to it. It seems to work in an unintuitive way to me but I don't use Excel that much.
Thanks for your reply and I hope this helps someone else.